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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.53.24

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 53: Rāvaṇa’s offer to Sītā. He displays his palace, promises wealth and authority over his wives, claims rescue is impossible and bows at her feet

In the sequence: he claims that Laṅkā's ocean defenses and his own strength make rescue impossible, belittling Rāma's power

3.53.24

na śakyo vāyur ākāśe pāśair baddhaṃ mahājavaḥ
dīpyamānasya vāpy agner grahītuṃ vimalāṃ śikhām

The mighty-swift wind in the sky cannot be bound with nooses, nor can the bright flame of blazing fire be seized.

Words: na — not; śakyo — able, possible; vāyur — the wind; ākāśe — in the sky; pāśair — with nooses; baddhaṃ — to bind (text baddhaṃ for baddhuṃ); mahājavaḥ — mighty-swift; dīpyamānasya — of blazing; vāpy — or even; agner — of fire; grahītuṃ — to seize; vimalāṃ — bright, clear; śikhām — flame

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.